The present invention relates to a device and a method for informing the user of a folding portable cellular phone, whose LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is placed inside and can not been seen by the user when the folding portable cellular phone is folded up, about occurrence of a call during the user""s absence (i.e., about occurrence of an absence reception of a call).
Portable cellular phones have come into wide use these days, and there have been on the market various types of portable cellular phones, including folding portable cellular phones which can be folded up into a small size. Such a folding portable cellular phone that has been folded up can be carried in the pocket of a shirt. The folding portable cellular phone is generally composed of a body and a cover section which is rotatably attached to the body by a hinge, and the body or the cover section is provided with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for displaying necessary information to the user. The LCD is usually provided on the inner side of the body or the cover section so as to be seen by the user when the cover section is opened, and thus the LCD can not been seen by the user when the cover section is closed, that is, when the folding portable cellular phone is folded. An example of such a folding portable cellular phone has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.HEI4-111655. The folding portable cellular phone disclosed in the document is provided with a call reception display means for informing the user about reception of a call, on the distal end of the body or the cover section (from the hinge). Such a call reception display means on the distal end of the body or the cover section can inform the user of reception of a call signal by light, even when the folding portable cellular phone is folded.
Meanwhile, there have been proposed portable cellular phones which are provided with functions for informing the user about occurrence of a call from a calling party while the user""s absence (i.e., about occurrence of an absence reception of a call), and displaying reception information such as a telephone number of the calling party, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.HEI6-291720, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.SH062-250727. Generally, the user is judged to be absent (i.e., away from the portable cellular phone) if the user does not respond to the call by pushing a key of the portable cellular phone during the ringing, and thereafter absence reception information operation for informing the user about the occurrence of the absence reception is executed. It is also possible to let the portable cellular phone judge that the user is absent, if the user does not respond to the call within a predetermined number of ringing tones, as mentioned in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.HEI5-14478. In the absence reception information operation, generally, letters indicating the occurrence of the absence reception is displayed on an LCD of the portable cellular phone.
However, in the case of the folding portable cellular phones which has been mentioned before, the user can not see the LCD which is placed on the inner side of the body or the cover section when the folding portable cellular phone is folded, and thus the user has to take the trouble to open the cover section in order to check whether or not an absence reception has occurred.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide an absence reception information device for a folding portable cellular phone, by which the user can easily check whether or not an absence reception has occurred, even if the folding portable cellular phone is folded.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absence reception information method for a folding portable cellular phone, by which the user can easily check whether or not an absence reception has occurred, even if the folding portable cellular phone is folded.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absence reception information device for a folding portable cellular phone which has a body, a cover section which is rotatably attached to the body, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) which is placed inside the folding portable cellular phone when the cover section is closed. The absence reception information device comprises a cover section open/close detection means and an absence reception display means. The cover section open/close detection means detects whether the cover section is opened or closed. The absence reception display means is placed on the folding portable cellular phone so as to be seen by the user when the cover section is closed. The absence reception display means executes absence reception information display for informing the user about occurrence of a call during the user""s absence, when the cover section open/close detection means is detecting that the cover section is closed.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the absence reception display means employed for the absence reception information display is an LED (Light-Emitting Diode).
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the absence reception information device further comprises a switching off means. The switching off means switches the absence reception display means off when the cover section open/close detection means detects that the cover section is opened.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absence reception information device for a folding portable cellular phone which has a body, a cover section which is rotatably attached to the body, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) which is placed inside the folding portable cellular phone when the cover section is closed. The absence reception information device comprises a cover section open/close detection means, a user absence judgment means and an absence reception display means. The cover section open/close detection means detects whether the cover section is opened or closed. The user absence judgment means judges that the user is absent when a call occurred if a predetermined period elapsed since reception of a call signal without a response by the user. The absence reception display means is placed on the folding portable cellular phone so as to be seen by the user when the cover section is closed. The absence reception display means executes absence reception information display for informing the user about occurrence of a call during the user""s absence if the user absence judgment means judged that the user was absent, when the cover section open/close detection means is detecting that the cover section is closed.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the absence reception display means employed for the absence reception information display is an LED (Light-Emitting Diode).
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the absence reception information device further comprises a switching off means. The switching off means switches the absence reception display means off when the cover section open/close detection means detects that the cover section is opened.
In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absence reception information method for a folding portable cellular phone which has a body, a cover section which is rotatably attached to the body, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) which is placed inside the folding portable cellular phone when the cover section is closed. The absence reception information method comprises a cover section open/close detection step and an absence reception display step. In the cover section open/close detection step, a cover section open/close detection means of the folding portable cellular phone detects whether the cover section is opened or closed. In the absence reception display step, an absence reception display means, which is placed on the folding portable cellular phone so as to be seen by the user when the cover section is closed, executes absence reception information display for informing the user about occurrence of a call during the user""s absence, when the cover section open/close detection means is detecting that the cover section is closed.
In accordance with an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the absence reception display means employed for the absence reception display step is an LED (Light-Emitting Diode).
In accordance with a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the absence reception information method further comprises a switching off step in which the absence reception display means is switched off when the cover section open/close detection means detects that the cover section is opened.
In accordance with a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absence reception information method for a folding portable cellular phone which has a body, a cover section which is rotatably attached to the body, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) which is placed inside the folding portable cellular phone when the cover section is closed. The absence reception information method comprises a cover section open/close detection step, a user absence judgment step and an absence reception display step. In the cover section open/close detection step, a cover section open/close detection means of the folding portable cellular phone detects whether the cover section is opened or closed. In the user absence judgment step, a user absence judgment means of the folding portable cellular phone judges that the user is absent when a call occurred if a predetermined period elapsed since reception of a call signal without a response by the user. In the absence reception display step, an absence reception display means, which is placed on the folding portable cellular phone so as to be seen by the user when the cover section is closed, executes absence reception information display for informing the user about occurrence of a call during the user""s absence if the user absence judgment means judged in the user absence judgment step that the user was absent, when the cover section open/close detection means is detecting that the cover section is closed.
In accordance with an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the absence reception display means employed for the absence reception display step is an LED (Light-Emitting Diode).
In accordance with a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the absence reception information method further comprises a switching off step in which the absence reception display means is switched off when the cover section open/close detection means detects that the cover section is opened.